World traveler John Ahlenius created a vibrant apartment in Denver. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

What roof will you be living under when you’re 64? 74? 84? How will you pay for it? Will it treat your knees and hips and ankles kindly, or trip you up when you least expect it? Is that “Silver Sneakers” program really going to keep you fit into your 80s?

More about the zombies in a bit. Probably the most important thing to note about the third edition of the fair is that one ticket price gets you in for the whole three-day weekend, Aug. 9-11, and that they’ve cut the price of parking to $5, with parking for bikes and scooters free. Tickets are $10 adults; $5 kids, seniors and military; family four-pack $25. Hours are Friday 12-8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; it’s all at the National Western Complex in Denver. 4655 Humboldt St.

Ryan Wakat and Ellen Patten created their bench out of old bike racks and firehose. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

It was an Earth Day story made on a family ranch, in salvage yards, and at hardware stores.

It came to me in an e-mailed press release from Factory Made, a Boulder retail store/maker space/hipster haven that teaches classes in welding, sewing, screenprinting and other crafts: Students in a Professor Julee Herdt’s Green Tech class at CU had made furnishings – from light fixtures to art to tables, benches and desks – out of metal scraps, old wine corks, beams and pallet wood and firehoses.

[media-credit id=21 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit] Adorable and affordable: This pair of wood block prints from Planet Ogie cost little more than a song at the first Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market. Organizers of that event will host their first holiday market Saturday at the Denver Pavilions.

Anyone who has ever created or received an original, handmade holiday gift would agree: Such thoughtful tokens pale in comparison to just about anything at the mall.

Okay, maybe not a marquise diamond.

But those with more modest holiday shopping budgets should take heed: Local arts and craft fairs provide an excellent opportunity to get the most bang for your limited bucks.

Plus, not everyone has the luxury of being able to craft their own holiday gifts. So here are three weekend markets that stand out because they represent Denver’s authentic, homegrown crafting scene. Admission to all three events is free unless otherwise noted.Read more…

A view of the red version of the Modern Christmas Tree (Provided by modernchristmastree.com)

Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker built homes – specifically, A-frames in the Rocky Mountains – but his grandson, Matt Bliss, considers his large and close-knit family to be the late engineer’s greatest creation.

Second greatest, perhaps, would be his Modern Christmas Tree, a hanging, conical arrangement of concentric hoops from which Stoecker every year suspended glittery ornaments. Now Stoecker’s grandson, Matt Bliss, 37, is memorializing his grandfather by selling Stoecker’s creation, also known as the Memory Tree, and using it to do good for Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Becky Hensley is the co-founder of Share Denver - a community craft space in Park Hill. She's also the proud Ninja-in Chief of the Denver Craft Ninjas -- a women’s crafting collective dedicated to keeping the DIY spirit alive through laughter, shared skills, and cocktails.

Colorado native Mark Montano is an international designer, artist, author and television personality. He has appeared on TLC’s “While You Were Out” and “10 Years Younger,” as well as “My Celebrity Home” on the Style Network, “She’s Moving In” on We TV, “The Tony Danza Show” on ABC, and “My Home 2.0” on Fox.